Lakers collapse in frustrating loss to Grizzles
The Los Angeles Lakers fall to 17–19 after sundering a season-high 23 threes in their 127–113 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.
The Lakers are now 3–10 since the In-Season Tournament Championship win.
The energy was high and the competitiveness was there to start the game, outscoring Memphis 38-29 at the end of the first quarter. Then the Lakers’ efforts and gameplan slowly faltered throughout, getting outscored 98–75 the rest of the way.
The Grizzles rank dead last in the NBA in 3-point shooting (33.8%), and against the Lakers, they shot 53.7% from three, with Marcus Smart leading the way with a hot night from deep, knocking down eight threes.
“Take your hat off to them. They shot the hell out of the ball; some guys that came in with lower percentages from the whole team to certain individuals, they knocked them down,” head coach Darvin Ham said on Memphis’ night from three.
Four of the Grizzlies starters scored 20+ points each: Jaren Jackson Jr. led with 31 points, Smart tallied 29 points, Desmond Bane contributed 24 points and 13 assists, and Ja Morant added 21 points.
“It seems to be the pattern of people stepping their game up when they come to our building,” Ham added. “We got to be ready to meet force with force.”
It’s no secret that a lot has to do with the Lakers' tough losing stretch since the IST, with executing their game plan, adjusting on the fly when opposing players get hot, and staying healthy as a whole.
Rui Hachimura missed his second straight game, and D’Angelo Russell missed his third straight game while being without backup point guard Gabe Vincent for most of the early season.
LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves accounted for 82 points, while the rest of the group contributed 31 points.
After scoring a season-low 12 points in Wednesday's loss to the Heat, LeBron bounced back with a winnable service performance with 32 points, seven assists, five rebounds and five steals in his 38 minutes.
Davis gave the Lakers 31 points and six rebounds in a high 40-minute night. He shot 59% from the field on 13-of-22 attempts.
“We're trending in the wrong direction right now,” Davis said. “The last thing we need, especially when guys are out, is to separate and fall apart. We got to stay together and figure it out.”
Reaves contributed 19 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds in 40 minutes of action.
The Lakers bench scored 13 points in the loss between three players, Max Christie (2 points), Christian Wood (11 points) and Jarred Vanderbilt (0 points) in an eight-man rotation due to injuries.
The Lakers’ next three matchups remain at home, with their first one coming on Sunday night against their hometown rival Clippers, then the Raptors on Tuesday, and the Suns on Thursday.
